Part 13 - Uninvited Guests
"From now on, you're the main gate liaison. You'll wait at the front gate indefinitely."
"W-What?!"
The unidentified master lifted his head and looked at Yeon Sang-hyeon.
"There's a facility at the main gate the previous messenger-servants used. Use it as your quarters."
Yeon Sang-hyeon continued speaking without sparing him so much as a glance.
"Your access authorization extends everywhere except the residence. Don't forget that."
In other words, he was officially turning the man into a gofer.
A gofer who had to stand by at the main gate forever, at that.
"F-First Young Master…?"
"Why?"
Before the unidentified master could even answer, Yeon Sang-hyeon cut in.
"If you don't like it, try doing whatever you want again."
"...…"
Those words were far too heavy for someone who was, at best, "a mere master" to bear.
At least here and now, he had no choices.
"...I will obey the First Young Master's command."
The First Young Master didn't even bother replying. He merely turned his gaze toward Jeong-a.
"And why are you still standing there?"
"I'll be back, First Young Master."
Without hesitating for even a moment, she bowed deeply, then retreated backward.
***
"So a guest shows up, and this is the kind of welcome you give?!"
The man who shouted the moment he saw Jeong-a was a hulking brute—taller by a full head than the toughs who prided themselves on their strength.
Reading him with her 'eyes', Jeong-a lowered her head in greeting.
"...It's our first meeting. My name is Jeong-a."
The Third-Grade Elite Warrior looked like he had no intention of accepting her greeting.
He snorted.
"Guide me inside. I'll meet your master."
'…What a lunatic.'
Jeong-a sighed inwardly.
The guards around them watched with obvious interest, making it equally obvious they had no intention of helping.
"The First Young Master has not granted permission for entry."
"What the—?!"
Jeong-a deliberately cut him off.
"If you have business, you may state it here."
Her eyes were lowered softly, but her face held not the slightest expression.
It was that unflinching poise—the very thing that had earned her the nickname Ice Flower among the guests she attended.
And, naturally, in response to an act that was practically a provocation, the Third-Grade Elite Warrior exploded.
"You crazy bitch…?!"
He took one step toward the main gate—
The instant he placed a foot inside the boundary stones marking the gate—
"Stop."
There wasn't even the sound of blades being drawn.
As if they had been like that from the very beginning—
The "guards" at the main gate—masters disguised in guard uniforms—had raised their swords in unison, their edges all aimed at the Third-Grade Elite Warrior.
"H-Huh…?"
Startled, he stumbled back.
Then, from behind, the captain of the guard detail—clutching his head in both hands (and now, unfortunately, Yeon Sang-hyeon's liaison)—let out a sigh and issued a warning.
"This is a top-tier restricted zone. To pass through here without authorization, you need a security permit of Grade 1 or higher…"
He didn't bother hiding his irritation as his teeth showed.
"…Fuck. Either way, it doesn't apply to you, so don't get cocky."
His eyes gleamed.
"That's your last warning."
"I-I understand."
The Third-Grade Elite Warrior raised both hands to show he had no hostile intent.
Only then did the guards sheath their swords and step back, returning to their roles as spectators.
The guard captain leaned back against the gate itself and slumped down.
And started tugging at his own hair again.
"Ahem. Ahem."
Seeing that the guards didn't care as long as he didn't go inside, the Third-Grade Elite Warrior cleared his throat a few times and decided to focus solely on Jeong-a.
"You're coming with me to see the Third Young Master."
It was an aggressive demand, but his momentum had noticeably diminished.
Jeong-a refused without so much as twitching.
"The Third Young Master does not decide my whereabouts."
The Third-Grade Elite Warrior sneered at her.
"That's not for you to decide. You're just a slave bitch—how dare you nitpick and argue?"
The words were humiliating, but Jeong-a didn't even blink as she replied.
"I'm only stating the rules of the main family."
"Enough. If the Third Young Master calls for you, you come—that's the rule. Move. Now."
He reached out a hand as big as a pot lid, and Jeong-a naturally took a step back.
"This slut…?!"
The moment she retreated, he could no longer grab her without stepping past the boundary.
"My name is Jeong-a, actually."
He flinched, toes twitching.
Just one step.
One step, and he could seize that smug woman by the throat.
But he couldn't ignore the unidentified masters watching with amused expressions.
"…I'll make sure to see whether you can keep acting so proud in front of the Third Young Master."
The grinding of his teeth echoed coldly.
"Until then, you'd better take good care of that body. The Third Young Master hates using things someone else has used."
Jeong-a dipped her head slightly in a courteous bow.
"I won't see you out."
He spat on the ground and turned away.
Watching him retreat, Jeong-a wanted to sink down right there.
The savage pressure the Third-Grade Elite Warrior radiated wasn't something an ordinary person—someone with no inner power at all—could endure.
But she didn't tremble even once. She held herself straight to the end.
Part of it was her resolve to never show weakness to anyone—
But more than that, another visitor was already approaching the main gate.
"Hmph."
"Hah!"
A middle-aged man who crossed paths with the Third-Grade Elite Warrior gave a low snort, while the Third-Grade Elite Warrior answered with a loud one.
From that alone, it wasn't hard to guess where the middle-aged man came from.
"I am the steward responsible for the Second Young Master's Howon (Lake Garden)."
"I am Jeong-a, attendant to the First Young Master. I pay my respects to Howon's steward."
He unfurled a fan (in the dead of winter!), and from behind it he looked at Jeong-a with open displeasure.
"Impudent. I have nothing to say to you—take me to your master at once."
"I'm sorry, but the First Young Master is not receiving visitors."
"What…?!"
Veins bulged along the hand gripping his fan.
"Do you realize you're babbling like this even though I've come here in the Second Young Master's stead?"
Jeong-a answered without her expression changing.
"I truly apologize."
Behind the fan, the Howon steward's eyes narrowed.
From Jeong-a's posture and the way she stood without stepping beyond the gate, he grasped far more than a few words could convey.
"…So you're not only impudent—you're shameless too."
Jeong-a offered no reply to his low, angered murmur.
Instead, he shifted his gaze from Jeong-a to the guard captain sitting on the ground and greeted him.
"You've all been working hard."
Even in his tone, it was clear he'd sensed these men were no ordinary guards.
He had no inner power to speak of, yet it was evident he hadn't earned his position through dumb luck.
"If what this girl says is true—are you certain the First Young Master is not receiving visitors?"
At his question, the guard in front shrugged.
"We don't really know either."
"Oh? Is that so? Then is there anyone here who does know?"
In that brief moment, the guard captain—still clutching his head—let his eyes rest on Jeong-a for a beat.
Jeong-a flinched slightly at the look, but she didn't avert her gaze.
"Well then, if none of you know, it can't be helped."
The Howon steward produced a letter from his robes and continued.
On the envelope, the Second Young Master's seal was stamped in clear relief.
"As one charged with the responsibility of delivering the Second Young Master's letter, I have no choice but to—"
At that moment, with a short sigh, the guard captain rose.
"The First Young Master is not receiving visitors."
The Howon steward's long eyebrows twitched.
"…Is that so?"
The guard captain smacked his lips.
"I'm on my way back from being reprimanded over that very issue."
"Ah…"
The Howon steward stroked his thin beard.
"Well, this is troublesome."
He gathered his thoughts, then clicked his tongue.
"Then it can't be helped."
Jeong-a tried to accept the Second Young Master's letter—
But the Howon steward didn't release his grip, instead looking to the guard captain.
"Could you confirm that this girl delivers the letter properly?"
The guard captain made a face that said he wanted no part of it, then begrudgingly nodded.
"I will."
Only then did the Howon steward relax his fingers and allow Jeong-a to take and secure the letter.
"…Remember this well."
He looked down on Jeong-a with the eyes of a viper and spoke quietly.
"No matter what you think you're plotting with that little head of yours, in the end you're still on the Second Young Master's palm."
He offered a polite farewell to the guards, turned, and walked away.
"Steward of Howon, I won't see you out."
In answer to Jeong-a's greeting, he gave only a snort.
Once he was far enough away, one of the guards shrugged.
"…What rotten bastards."
"Seriously."
Then they all nodded at Jeong-a.
"For such a young miss, you've got impressive backbone."
"Mhm. Don't know the full story, but seeing you stand your ground—makes me proud."
It wasn't the kind of speech that suited ordinary guards.
"Thank you for thinking kindly of me."
Jeong-a considered it a good outcome.
They weren't acknowledging her as "guards" playing a role—they were recognizing her sincerely in their true identities.
After exchanging a few words, Jeong-a hid the trembling that finally started to rise in her body and forced her feet to move.
"Hey. Wait a moment."
It was the guard captain.
"...Do you have something to say to me?"
Following her as far as the forest path, he spoke in a low voice.
"The First Young Master never expressly forbade visitors, did he? Isn't that right?"
Jeong-a bit her lip briefly.
"He didn't order it directly, but I believed that…."
He waved a hand, stopping her.
"As you know, I don't have a single good feeling toward your First Young Master."
"...…"
"And yet I'm telling you this for one reason only—because it bothers me to see a girl young enough to be my daughter stuck in an awkward situation."
Jeong-a bowed her head.
"I will take it to heart."
He sighed once, as though cursing his own meddlesome nature, but continued anyway.
"You know this much, don't you? The First Young Master could protect you… but he didn't."
At that, Jeong-a's face showed discomfort.
"…I am nothing but a mere attendant."
He shook his hand.
"No, no. I think there's a misunderstanding. What I mean isn't what you think."
Roughly scratching at his head, he went on.
"I've spent my whole life with a sword, so I'm hopelessly bad with words. But living as a warrior—there are things you end up seeing clearly."
His eyes fixed on Jeong-a.
"Are you trying to offer loyalty to the First Young Master… or are you trying to protect yourself? When I saw you guessing at what the First Young Master was thinking earlier, that's what I started to wonder."
It felt like being struck by lightning.
Jeong-a froze in place.
"The First Young Master could've driven them back with a single sentence. So why didn't he?"
In the end, she couldn't give any answer at all.
Seeing her like that, the guard captain gave a bitter smile.
"Then I'll be going."
Only then did Jeong-a come to her senses and hurriedly ask.
"Do you not need to confirm that I deliver the letter?"
He was already turned away, heading back toward the main gate.
"No, no. That's for you to handle. I need to figure out how to get away from that First Young Master as soon as possible."
In an instant, he vanished from sight.
But Jeong-a, turning in the opposite direction, couldn't bring herself to take a single step.
The guard captain's words wouldn't leave her mind.
'Are you trying to offer loyalty to the First Young Master… or are you trying to protect yourself?'